Various types of nonvolatile memory (“NVM”), such as flash memory (e.g., NAND flash memory and NOR flash memory), can be used for mass storage. For example, consumer electronics (e.g., portable media players) use flash memory to store data, including music, videos, images, and other media or types of information.
Memory controllers can be used to perform access requests (e.g., program, read, and erase operations) and memory management functions on NVM. In typical nonvolatile memory systems, these different access requests each require different voltage levels, one or more of which may exceed the voltage available from a system power supply. Charge pumps may be included to solve this problem. However, they introduce their own attendant drawbacks. In particular, charge pumps are typically activated and deactivated for each and every access request provided to the NVM. Moreover, the charge pump output voltage must be readjusted for consecutive access requests of different types. These drawbacks can result in added system latency and power loss.